While hair texture and color may vary among races, the cause of hair loss in men remains the same. The American Hair Loss Association reports that androgenic alopecia or traditional male pattern baldness is the cause of 95 percent of hair loss in men. This is no different for African American men. African American men should consider the same treatments that have been proven to be both safe and effective for male pattern baldness.
Minoxidil or Rogaine
African America men should consider minoxidil (the generic form of Rogaine) to treat hair loss. Minoxidil, once exclusively patented by UpJohn as "Rogaine" is an FDA approved topical solution that should be applied one or two times a day to treat hair loss. It is available in most grocery stores and can be purchased online. According to HairSite, it is the most popular hair loss treatment in the world.
HairSite also highlights a study in which 984 men with male pattern hair loss used 5 percent strength minoxidil two times daily for a year. Dermatologists measured the amount of hair lost when washing or showering. At the beginning of the study, men lost an average of 69.7 hairs when washing. By the end of the study, after using 5 percent minoxidil for a year, the same men lost an average of 33.8 hair while washing. The over 50 percent decrease is evidence of minoxidil's effectiveness of preventing or slowing hair loss. Also significantly, the study found that minoxidil was at least "somewhat effective" in stimulating hair growth in 84.3 percent of men.
Propecia or Finasteride
African Americans should also consider Propecia (or generic finasteride) for treating male pattern baldness. Propecia, like minoxidil, is FDA for the treatment of androgenic alopecia. It is a little brown tablet that should be taken once a day. Propecia lowers DHT levels in the body. Propecia.com reports that DHT, the male sex hormone, is generally agreed to be the main contributor to hair loss. Propecia is only for men, women are discouraged from even touching the tablet.
Omnimedicalsearch underlines a five year study of Propecia, the longest to date, conducted by Merck on men with male pattern baldness. Two of out every three men regrew hair by taking Propecia daily over 5 years. Perhaps most importantly, 90 percent of men, by the culmination of the study, were reported to have either maintained their starting hair count or increased their hair count.
Ketoconazole Shampoo
A final hair product that African American men should consider is ketoconazole shampoo. It is available in most grocery store and drug stores as "Nizoral" shampoo. While ketoconazole shampoo is traditionally used to combat excessive scalp dandruff, it is clinically proven to help treat male pattern baldness.
A Belgian clinical trial at the University of Liège, published in the 1998 Journal of Dermatology found ketoconazole shampoo to "almost similarly" mimic the results of 2 percent minoxidil when test groups were compared. Belgian scientists believe that ketoconazole shampoo is promising in the long-term treatment of androgenic alopecia.
Member Comments